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destinyland writes "A New York professor has built a two-armed nanorobotic device with the ability to place specific atoms and molecules where scientists want them. The nano-scopic device is just 150 x 50 x 8 nanometers in size — over a million could fit inside a single red blood cell. But because of its size, it's able to build nanoscale structures and machines — including a nanoscale walking biped and even sequence-dependent molecular switch arrays!"

You're right, so clearly they could not have meant that. I assumed they meant that the arm will place an atom so that it bonds in just the way you want. There is a tolerance in that, sort of like with throwing a basketball through a hoop. Many initial trajectories will result in a basket.

I don't know a heck of a lot about nanorobots and such, so I don't know whether it's possible or not, but if placing atoms with 100% accuracy is possible, shouldn't it also be possible to _remove_ atoms with 100% accuracy?

In that case, would it be possible to build something that disassembles atmospheric carbon dioxide, and build pencil lead and release oxygen in the process?

Of course, then you get into the problem of the energy stored in chemical bonds, and the energy required to overcome that. I have no idea if/how that applies to nanoscale robots, since they're mechanically working on individual atoms, rather than a bulk chemical reaction.

So, the first one builds a friend, then each builds a friend, and each of those builds a friend. Soon enough there will be millions, and they will be able to invade your blood cells!

I've got a clever plan to stop them. I treat my body poorly, so my blood cells and the rest of me will be in such bad shape that the invaders will be disgusted by the slum-like living conditions and leave. So while all you healthy people are dismantled by the Evil Nanobot Horde, they'll just leave me alone! I shall outlive all of you! Now hand me the phone, I'm gonna order some buckets of chicken.